Shailendra Singh

Seed/Surge
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Venture
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Growth
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SEA

“Life is millions of combinations of probabilities that are interdependent, hard to predict. The best people improve the probability of success through hard work, learning, smart choices and long term thinking.”

Backstory

I grew up in a family with tons of idealism and a big focus on impacting society positively. My grandfather and father have devoted their lives to social service, launching and running education trusts that set up non-profit schools. Their idealism has shaped me immensely.

I was also deeply influenced by my elder brother. He was a dynamic, fearless entrepreneur, completely unfazed by challenges. Unfortunately, we lost him to cancer. His courage played a key role in many important life decisions for me.

When I was in the 12th grade, I got extremely sick with hepatitis, missing four months of school and IIT coaching. People advised me to wait a year to apply to IIT, but I was grateful to have simply recovered. I greatly surprised myself and others when I got in. I started to believe that anything is possible if you work very hard and give it your best.

My startup journey during the dot com bust was very painful. That failure hurt my confidence. But it has allowed me to relate to what founders go through. I believe in the Founder’s DNA, that a relentless, give-it-everything mindset, a very personal journey defines founders.

This is the journey that most founder leaders are on, of understanding themselves, and how and when their gifts turn into their blind spots. The journey of entrepreneurship and eventually of enduring leadership is about getting to know yourself.

On the lookout for

Authenticity. Contrary to what some say, I don’t believe in the “fake it till you make it” mantra. The best founders are very real. They hold themselves to a really, really high bar – on product, on product-market-fit, on quality of people they hire. If founders have a high bar, and are connected to the world in a real way, then they are truthful to themselves about what they need to do to win. Self awareness and intellectual honesty leads to clarity, which in turn leads to greater alignment inside the companies they run.

I always try to understand what drives founders to devote their life to a problem. Do they have any unique insights into a market, have they thought deeply about serving their customers better than others? I’m always keen to understand what shaped their life and key decisions. I like to hear about their family and friends, their siblings, parents. I look to learn about their failures and how they might have overcome them. We are shaped by our challenges and failures more than we are by our successes.

In the end, I think amazing success can be achieved by highly imperfect people. It’s not for us to judge others, but for simply to understand them and assess if there are common values, so we can work well together for a very long period of time.

Shailendra Singh

Backstory

On the lookout for

Personal Side

Press & Media

Peak XV’s Shailendra Singh, Rajan Anandan open up on their dreams for Surge

Peak XV sees Surge programme going more global, reveals cohort 10

Veteran VCs downplay funding draught; bullish on Asia Opportunities

The Future of FinTech in India: Global FinTech Fest Outcome

Credit growth is crucial but requires cautious management, say fintech entrepreneurs

Fintechs startups must be built with precision, discipline not speed, velocity

AI Can Transform Fintech Sector But Is Not Being Used Enough

Fintech startup Partior raises $60 million in funding round led by Peak XV Partners

Peak XV’s Shailendra Singh joins USISPF board of directors

Businesses will look for ways to drive revenue through AI, says venture capital firm

Watch CNBC’s full interview with Shailendra Singh, MD, Peak XV, one of Asia’s biggest VC firms

China is still an important market even if investors diversify from it now, says Peak XV

India ‘very favorable’ for IPOs, Peak XV says, as economy and investor sentiment stay strong

Sequoia’s former Indian arm reaps benefits of investors moving money from China

Peak XV to launch perpetual fund backed by own partners, other leaders

Peak XV to launch permanent investment vehicle backed by fund partners, team members

Truth Vs Hype in Funding AI Initiatives

Excessive governance around companies in $2-7 mn revenue range will stifle innovation

“Unicorns are adolescent companies”

“Wish for tech winter to last longer”

“Startup founders should aim for consistent compounding”

Global VC Dialogue: Resetting investment theses | SFF 2023

What does it take to be in the top 1%? Peak XV’s MD on building a multi-generational company

AI is beginning to show very high-quality results

‘AI is fastest-changing landscape’, gives Indian startups a heads up

Shailendra Singh compares India’s AI ecosystem with Silicon Valley

Man who helps budding entrepreneurs succeed

AI Firms Dominate Peak XV’s Latest Program to Boost Startups

Peak XV’s latest Surge batch is 77% AI and deep tech startups

Shailendra Singh stressed on free cash flow, building right culture at founders retreat

Unshackled: After breaking free from Sequoia, can Peak XV double down on the India story?

‘Investing in Indian startups for long run’

Split from Sequoia to drive greater autonomy, agility for Peak XV Partners

“We have $2.5 billion of uninvested dry powder”

Peak XV to double-down on cross-border bets

Global profit-sharing agreement dissolved, will double down on India

Launching Peak XV Partners

Why Did Sequoia India Change Its Structure And Brand Identity To Peak XV Partners?

Building for the Long Term

Corporate Governance: The Cornerstone of an Enduring Company

Current Companies